LETTER: Add greater potential to Courthouse debate

Over the past few months, I and others have written and spoken about the Courthouse-Town Hall project and its potential to make a substantial difference to the character and quality of the downtown.

Over the past few months, I and others have written and spoken about the Courthouse-Town Hall project and its potential to make a substantial difference to the character and quality of the downtown.

Central to this outcome is the future of the Courthouse, itself, and whether it is just an extension of the Town Hall or a place that attracts both visitors and Plymouth residents because of the exciting story it tells about Plymouth and what there is to see and do here.

Whenever I’ve spoken of this issue I’ve gotten a positive response. But I think it is important to recognize that we will not get this outcome if there is not continued political support for it. Transforming the Courthouse into a great destination will not happen by accident. It has to be made a major purpose of this effort.

One attempt to do this was a suggestion that the motion for Article 10 be amended to include “with visitor orientation, historic information and service facilities in the Courthouse.” This suggestion was rejected by town counsel as being too specific, that the concept of municipal center was broad enough to allow this and other things to happen there.

Well, if that’s the case, and if Plymouth wants to see this project result in something more than a Town Hall, people will have to speak up and let the leadership of the community know of its importance. The effort put in to exploring this possibility will be directly related to the desire the community expresses to see this outcome.

Towards that end, I ask Town Meeting representatives to raise this issue as part of their debate about the merits of this project. I, for one, hope this project is approved and think a meals tax surcharge and CPA funds are appropriate ways to pay for it. But I also think the Courthouse has much greater potential than has been recognized to date, and that we’ll never find out what that is if we don’t make it a priority in the first place.